'Tick-box mentality'

Mr Travis, assistant secretary of the association, said: "Smith certainly shouldn't have been in an open prison so early in his sentence.

"This is a common problem and the general public will not realise the type of inmates being sent to open prisons because of prison overcrowding and the need to save money."

Gregory Dennett, 43, disappeared on the same day as Smith and was still on the run on Thursday.

He was serving a life sentence for wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm. He had been given resettlement leave at an address in Luton, Bedfordshire, but failed to return to the prison.

"Unfortunately you're finding people with dangerous violent histories are being sent to open prisons far too early, and as a result fail to return from temporary release, or simply walk out of open jail and therefore put the public at risk," Mr Travis said.

Two inmates absconded from the Suffolk open prison on Monday

"People who go to Hollesley Bay should be the type that people trust to work in the community."

The Ministry of Justice said between March 2012 and March 2013, eight prisoners absconded from Hollesley Bay.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "The number of absconds from open prisons in 2012/13 was the second lowest since records began, and all those located in open prisons have been rigorously risk assessed and deemed suitable for open conditions.

"Anyone who does abscond will be returned to a closed prison and may face further criminal charges."

Mr Travis added: "The system is at fault unfortunately, and we've been saying for many years that the tick-box mentality of the allocation system no longer does the rigorous test that the prisons minister says is in place.